Ducks fall to Stars late in third

DALLAS (AP)

The Dallas Stars didn't get discouraged, even after giving up a three-goal lead.

Michael Ryder got the tiebreaking score at 6:42 of the third period, and the Stars went on to 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.

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With the score tied at 3-all, Ryder skated up the slot and converted Loui Eriksson's setup for Ryder's 11th of the season, firing high past goaltender Jonas Hiller.

''We just came up on the rush....and I was just trying to find an open area in front,'' Ryder said. ''Loui made a great pass to me. I just managed to beat Hiller high glove.''

Eric Nystrom added an insurance goal for Dallas at 14:19 of the third.

Dallas' Alex Goligoski and Mike Ribeiro scored power-play goals over a 24-second span in the second period. Brenden Morrow also connected for the Stars, who built a 3-0 lead before the Ducks rallied late in the second period.

But the Ducks couldn't carry that momentum into the final period, and fell to 0-9-3 in their last 12 on the road and 1-5-0 in their last six overall.

''I thought (the Ducks) took it to us in the last 10 (minutes of the second period), so our message between the second and third was, `We can't do it with a strike of lightning, we have to make sure every line is going out there and working and working and we have to do it together,' and the guys did that for the last 20,'' Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said.

Anaheim's Teemu Selanne got his 648th career goal on the power play, and teammate Lubomir Visnovsky added a man-advantage goal.

Selanne contributed an assist to give him 1,375 career points, moving past former Dallas center Mike Modano and into sole possession of 22nd on the all-time list.

Nick Bonino also scored for Anaheim, 2-6-1 since Bruce Boudreau took over as coach after Randy Carlyle was fired on Nov. 30.

Stars rookie Richard Bachman made his fifth straight start - and home debut - while regular goalie Kari Lehtonen sat out his ninth consecutive game due to a groin injury. Lehtonen is skating and is expected to be back in the net within a week.

Morrow got the scoring underway at 9:06 of the opening period, striking from low in the right circle off a pass from Ribeiro after the linemates worked a 2 on 1.

The Stars hadn't skated 5-on-3 all season, but they had a pair of two-man advantages in the first two periods.

Dallas capitalized on the second when Goligoski's shot from the point glanced off Anaheim defenseman Francoise Beauchemin and past Hiller at 1:19 of the second period.

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The Stars cashed in on a 5-on-4 advantage at 1:43 of the second when Ribeiro scored from the left circle for a 3-0 lead.

''It's not just the goalies, it's not just the defensemen, it's everybody,'' Beauchemin said of his team's 9-19-5 start.

Selanne got the Ducks' rally underway at 4:30 of the second, firing a shot from the left circle and just inside the near post for his 11th of the season.

Anaheim pulled within 3-2 on Visnovsky's blast from the point that glanced off Dallas' Vernon Fiddler and past Bachman at 14:49 of the second.

Bonino's deflection at 18:27 of the second, his first goal of the season and second of his career, tied it at 3.

But defensive lapses continue for the Ducks, who've allowed 14 goals in their last three games.

''We make a mistake, it's always in the back of our net,'' Boudreau said. ''It's everybody. It's the coaches. It's all our responsibility. We come out good for short periods of time, then all of a sudden we get out of the game plan. I don't know if the focus is lost, or we get too emotionally involved in something else.''

NOTES: Dallas opened a stretch of six of seven home games following a 3-2 trip. ... Forwards Adam Burish (broken hand) and Tomas Vincour (knee), and D Philip Larsen (lower body) are out for Dallas. ... C Travis Zajak (Achilles' tendon), D Andy Greene (toe), LW Jason Blake (arm) and C Jacob Josefson (shoulder) are out for the Ducks. ... Dallas is 4-0-2 in its last six against Anaheim.